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They have to be hungry

(This post is for Suanie, one of my favourite people ever, who told me to update my dying blog already)

A friend lost a colleague…who quit after just 3 days.

The job was ‘too hard’, said the now ex-colleague.

You would think the job entailed hard labour, depressing conditions and the like.

The thing is, the job wasn’t all that hard for what the person was getting. I know people with a similar job that get paid less than what he was making.

It was a desk job that required skills at organising and fostering community. No, it is not an easy job especially if you’re new at it.

But to quit after 3 days? Really?

I keep hearing stories like this. People not showing up for interviews. New hires walking out right after lunch.

I think they were probably just not ‘hungry’ enough.

Here’s the deal: if you’re not hungry enough for something, you don’t really want it.

And hunger is also something you can see. It is not the same as enthusiasm. Fake enthusiasm masks lack of hunger. Real hunger doesn’t necessarily show itself overtly and some people just like to play it cool, you know.

Sometimes you have to ask yourself, too. Are you hungry for this (your job/your relationship/your project)? Does it keep you up at night? Do you think about it often? Dream about it? Does it make you feel? Do your friends have to tell you to shut up about it?

If none of what I said rings true with you, then you’re just not hungry.

Though I do think some kids these days are spoiled by never having to learn what it meant to really be hungry. As in ‘it’s World War II and we have to dig up the tapioca or we’ll starve’ hungry.

Too many fresh grads come into the working world expecting fat paycheques for very little work.

Sorry, kiddos. The world doesn’t work that way. Unless you’re in banking or finance, entry-level salaries in most fields are a pittance. Expect the first few years of your working life to be about barely surviving on a pittance.

Suck it up. Life is hard, unfair and often a crapshoot. Nobody owes you a living; you have to make one with hard work.

And before you throw in the towel at the new job, give it at least a month. Ask for help. Be willing to meet the challenge.

But if your boss puts the moves on you or your job involves things you didn’t sign up for like forging signatures and covering up for cheating colleagues, say Hasta La Vista post-haste. Life is too short to waste it on assholes.